Book Review: How to Draw Cool Stuff

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I was recently sent the highly unique and ridiculously cool book above to review and, I have to tell you, I’ve really gotten a kick out of it. While one of my daughters, Brittany, was born with uncommon artistic abilities, I struggle with stick people. For those, like me, who would love to be able to express themselves creatively yet somehow struggle with getting our hands to do what our brain commands, How to Draw Cool Stuff is the crash course we need.

How to Draw Cool Stuff shows simple step-by-step illustrations that make it easy for anyone to draw cool stuff with precision and confidence. These pages will guide you through the basic principles of illustration by concentrating on easy-to-learn shapes that build into complex drawings. With the step-by-step guidelines provided, anything can become easy to draw. This book contains a series of fun, hands-on exercises that will help you see line, shape, space and other elements in everyday objects and turn them into detailed works of art in just a few simple steps. The exercises in this book will help train your brain so you can visualize ordinary objects in a different manner, allowing you to see through the eyes of an artist. From photorealistic faces to holiday themes and tattoo drawings, How to Draw Cool Stuff makes drawing easier than you would think and more fun than you ever imagined! Now is the time to learn how to draw the subjects and scenes you’ve always dreamt of drawing. How to Draw Cool Stuff is suitable for artists of any age benefiting everyone from teachers and students to self-learners and hobbyists. How to Draw Cool Stuff will help you realize your artistic potential and expose you to the pure joy of drawing!

While the book states that it is for Teachers and Students  (and it would be excellent for either) – make absolutely no mistake about it, anyone will enjoy this book as much as I have. It’s simply a lot of fun to learn how to draw pumpkins, praying hands, spider webs, treasure chests, hands, pointing fingers, penguins and much, much more.  I look forward to decorating birthday and Christmas cards and envelopes in the future with my new-found skills!

I love that the book gives step by step, VERY detailed pictures and descriptions. Each lesson also includes a “Know, Understand, Do” page that goes into further detail about what it is you’re trying to do and the process that’ll carry you from A to B. This is a step that a lot of similar books don’t take and it makes a world of difference.

The Vocabulary that’s included throughout the book is also very educational and interesting. As someone who spends a great deal of time researching, reading, and writing about mental fitness, this educational aspect is one of my favorite things about How to Draw Cool Stuff. I often say how important it is – for mental fitness, your brain’s health, and for the prevention of all forms  of dementia (including Alzheimer’s Disease) – to learn something  new everyday and to challenge yourself in areas that are new to you.

Learning about new things is as wonderful for your brain as vegetables are for your body. But How to Draw Cool Stuff goes a step further – the fact that the reader is encouraged to be creative as they learn makes the benefits even greater.

“Creativity is intelligence having fun.” – Albert Einstein 

How Being Creative Helps Your Brain’s Health

• One way creativity helps your mental fitness is by helping you relax. When you are able to sit down, pencil and paper in hand, and work on your drawings, you leave stress behind.
• When we learn a new skill, it builds confidence. Learning something new not only gives us confidence in that particular area, it increases our confidence in all areas of life. We become aware that “if we did this… we can do that!”
• People who suffer from anxiety-related conditions benefit greatly from learning to draw. Very often, the feeling of anxiousness responds beautifully to “busy hands.” Why? Because when our mind and hands are busy creating something cool… they pull away from anxious thoughts and worries.
• We know that using our brain as often as possible is great mental exercise, right? However, if we don’t use different areas of our brain, we aren’t getting as good of a workout as we could. Being creative uses a different part of our brain (and uses it differently) than, say, reading a book or even learning a foreign language.  CNN reports that taking part in creative endeavors protects neuron growth by promoting the production of new neurons.
• Being creative can help prevent Alzheimer’s Disease. Engaging in artistic activities improves communication between different parts of the brain. This communication if VITAL to the prevention of cognitive deterioration (memory loss, dementia, Alzheimer’s Disease…).

Read more about How to Draw Cool Stuff  by clicking the link. This is a wonderfully fun and mentally stimulating book – a perfect 10 out of 10!

Make each creative moment count double,

~ Joi